What's An Interlabial Pad And Is It Right For You?

In a strange combination of reusable pads and tampons, interlabial pads are gaining a lot of popularity among those who claim they make periods more comfortable.

There are two types of people. Those who embrace their periods and those who loathe them. No matter how much I admire those who decide to embrace this natural process openly and who encourage others to accept it, for me, it’s something quite impossible to achieve. For that same reason, I recognize that most of my emotional and physical attitudes towards menstruation are pretty outdated. I mention this because every time I see a new period product I can’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable, and even scared, to give it a try. For instance, I’ve heard so many wonderful things about the cup, and although all the benefits it has real appeal to my needs, I just can’t picture myself wearing anything else than pads, or very rarely a tampon if I’m going to swimming during my period.

Now, I know it’s probably just an irrational fear of trying something new during my period, yet I like learning about new ideas and inventions in case there’s something new that can actually make my periods more manageable and bearable. So, one of the new products that are becoming a sensation on the internet and many are talking about are interlabial pads. I know this sounds like a hyper technologically advanced product but actually, it’s quite simple and not that scary as it sounds. Interlabial pads, as its name shows are pieces of fabric you fold and put right through the length of the labia. Most of them are reusable since they’re made with natural fabrics.

This is like a mixture between your regular pads and tampons with the difference that you don’t have to insert them into your vaginal tract nor you wear externally. What I liked about these is that they seem to be the best option if, like me, you have a heavy flow since the idea is that it soaks the fluid and directs the leaking to the middle of the pad. Yes, I know what you might be thinking and that’s actually something I wasn’t that convinced about. So, this isn’t a replacement of regular pads, but it can help us feel way much more comfortable since it doesn’t go all over the pad and thus it won’t make you feel wet and uncomfortable.

What’s also great about this product is that unlike commercial ones that are created with certain chemical materials, these are natural soft fabrics that will make you feel even more comfortable, but more importantly since these are highly absorbent they can really prevent infections produced by the moisture that builds up in the pad, urinary tract infections, and lower the risk of toxic shock syndrome. The thing here, as with any other sanitary product is hygiene, no matter what you choose to wear you must be very clean and careful to use them in the right way to avoid any health issue.

For instance, it’s recommended you change the interlabial pad as regularly as you would your regular pad. Since it’s not disposable, I’d find a bit uncomfortable to change it, say in the office since I wouldn’t have where to put it while I reach home to clean it properly. Another con I’ve read frequently is that unless you get one of those that include a velcro to secure it to your pad or underwear (which would make it more difficult to fold and adapt to your labia), it’s quite a pickle to avoid a mess when changing it or even just going to the bathroom.

All in all, I think it’s a great idea for those of us with heavy flows that don’t feel that comfortable when wearing pads, but at the same time don’t have the guts to try other options. I do think it’s a very innovative solution that’s still in the process of being perfected and improved, so maybe in a couple of months or perhaps a year, we’ll be having an optimized product that will represent more comfortable periods. I’m seriously quite excited about this one to be honest.